Intimate partner violence connected to obesity in young children

Children whose mothers experienced chronic abuse at the hands of their partners were more likely to be obese at age 5 years, recent data indicated.

To evaluate the effect that domestic violence has on obesity in preschool-aged children, researchers at Boston University School of Medicine assessed data collected during the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study — a prospective cohort study that involved children born between 1998 and 2000 and was conducted in 20 cities throughout the United States.

For their analysis, the researchers examined a subset of 1,595 children whose mothers completed interviews at birth and follow-up via telephone or in-home assessment at 12, 36 and 60 months. Children’s height and weight were also measured at the 3- and 5-year evaluations.

Results revealed that 16.5% of these children were obese at age 5, and 49.4% of mothers reported physical, sexual or restrictive partner violence at some point during the study period. Chronic abuse was experienced by 16.8%. After adjusting for potential confounders, such as maternal age and obesity, children of these mothers were 80% more likely to be obese at age 5 compared with children whose mothers reported no domestic violence (adjusted OR=1.80; 95% CI, 1.24-2.61).

The researchers noted that girls whose mothers reported chronic intimate partner violence had a higher risk for obesity (adjusted OR=2.21; 95% CI, 1.30-3.75) when compared with boys (adjusted OR=1.66; 95% CI, 0.94-2.93). This risk increased for both boys and girls if the mother perceived the neighborhood in which they lived as unsafe (adjusted OR=1.56; 95% CI, 1.03-2.36). Analyses indicated, however, that these numbers were not statistically significant.

Several factors could explain the link between chronic abuse and elevated risk of childhood obesity, the researchers said. For instance, domestic violence may influence maternal responsiveness to the socioemotional needs of the child and cause stress that leads to emotional eating. Furthermore, they point out that a child’s neuroendocrine, serotonin and cortisol systems may be altered by witnessing traumatic events.

Boynton-Jarrett R. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2010;164:540-546.